Hackers Are Tweaking Tinder To Up Their Date Chances

Savvy techies are finding a way to cheat Tinder to up their chances at finding true love.

As reported on ValleyWag, a growing number of hackers are finding ways to infiltrate Tinder and change or automate its functions to their benefit. One of the most popular dating apps on the market, Tinder allows singles to find potential matches in their area. Users can "like" people by simply swiping their screens, and then the other person can either like them back or pass. If a match is made, the two can chat through the app before meeting in person.

Most recently, Yuri de Souza, a software engineer who used to work for Microsoft, announced on his blog how he successfully hacked Tinder to automate the "like" action. Instead of manually swiping multiple profiles, his hack enabled him to mass-like all prospects, with the idea that he could then hand-pick from the smaller pool who liked him back.

De Souza wrote about what inspired his attempt: "I recalled my friend telling me how he would spend hours swiping right on Tinder just to accumulate as many matches as possible. This had me thinking, why can’t I reverse engineer Tinder and automate the swipes?"

Other hackers have found ways to bend Tinder to their own purposes, many of whom shared their strategies on a Hacker News comment thread. Blogger Venkatesh Nandakumar created a hack program similar to de Souza's and shared the code with his followers.

The hacking isn't limited to hard-core programming. Blake Jamieson, a social media marketer, recently used a "creative hack" to alter his profile picture, making it appear as if Tinder was endorsing him as a preferred match. And user Cammi Pham soon followed his lead.

Savvy techies are finding a way to cheat Tinder to up their chances at finding true love.

As reported on ValleyWag, a growing number of hackers are finding ways to infiltrate Tinder and change or automate its functions to their benefit. One of the most popular dating apps on the market, Tinder allows singles to find potential matches in their area. Users can "like" people by simply swiping their screens, and then the other person can either like them back or pass. If a match is made, the two can chat through the app before meeting in person.

Most recently, Yuri de Souza, a software engineer who used to work for Microsoft, announced on his blog how he successfully hacked Tinder to automate the "like" action. Instead of manually swiping multiple profiles, his hack enabled him to mass-like all prospects, with the idea that he could then hand-pick from the smaller pool who liked him back.

De Souza wrote about what inspired his attempt: "I recalled my friend telling me how he would spend hours swiping right on Tinder just to accumulate as many matches as possible. This had me thinking, why can’t I reverse engineer Tinder and automate the swipes?"

Other hackers have found ways to bend Tinder to their own purposes, many of whom shared their strategies on a Hacker News comment thread. Blogger Venkatesh Nandakumar created a hack program similar to de Souza's and shared the code with his followers.

The hacking isn't limited to hard-core programming. Blake Jamieson, a social media marketer, recently used a "creative hack" to alter his profile picture, making it appear as if Tinder was endorsing him as a preferred match. And user Cammi Pham soon followed his lead.